The Knowsley Parks & Green Spaces Review Board has now published the detailed findings of its review into the future funding and management of Knowsley’s parks and green spaces.

In addition to publishing the Report and summary version online, the Chair of the Board, Gideon Ben Tovim has also formally submitted these documents to Cllr Andy Moorhead, Leader of Knowsley Council on Monday 6th November. He will also present the findings and final recommendations to a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 28th November 2017.

The Board is recommending the creation of a charitable trust to run the borough’s parks. This would be funded by the investment of a £40 million endowment, created through the phased sale of up to 10% of parks and green spaces in Knowsley over the next 15 years.

This recommendation was supported by (60%) of people who took part in the consultation organised by the Board in August and September this year.

Chair of the Knowsley Parks and Green Spaces Review Board, Gideon Ben Tovim said: “Firstly we would like to thank everyone who got involved with the consultation and for sharing their views.

“We needed to find a new way of sustaining Knowsley’s public parks and green spaces and protecting them for future generations. The only really sustainable model that we could find was a trust funded by an endowment created by the sale of 10% of parks and green spaces. This endowment would be invested for the long-term, bringing a return used to fund parks forever.”

Whilst the findings do not identify which sites could be sold in the future, the Board does share feedback about what matters most to people about green spaces, how they use them and the types of open spaces they value the most.

Knowsley Council has lost £86m in budget cuts since 2010 and, facing a further £14.8m of cuts up to 2020. Due to these ongoing cuts, the Council can no longer afford the £1.3m per year it costs to maintain parks from 2019. The Review Board’s work has sought to identify a new way of managing and funding parks in Knowsley after March 2019.

For further updates from the Knowsley Parks and Green Spaces Review Board, and to read the full report, visit the board’s website: www.knowsleyparksboard.co.uk